Back in 2011 – capturing the moments
Often as a photographer, you do not realise what the images you capture can mean in the years to come. They might not be the greatest images – barely even telling a story, just a photo of someone you were there to photograph.
It is only years later when being slightly bored and maybe feverish – you dig through the archives and go ‘WOW!! I can’t even remember this game or event..’ but when you look at the photos, it all comes back to you.
This time, it was trip back to 2011 – when flying was carefree and cost about €10 return from Birmingham to Italy/Spain/Germany.. and I was on the mission to capture Finnish players playing abroad. Also – there were only about 5-6 players abroad those days.. so it was quite easy to do 🙂
Images here are of Petteri Koponen (Bologna) – Kimmo Muurinen (Frankfurt) – Carl Lindbom (Frankfurt) – Gerald Lee Jr (Udine) – Tuukka Kotti (Ferrera).
Not many of those guys are still playing – but the photographer is still going strong (well… going anyways 😉
Viewing these simple/basic images makes me REALLY look forward to the ’12 days of basketball’ at the end of January – when I get to go and capture some of the ‘next generation’ of Finns abroad doing their thing. Then maybe in 2035 I will look at those photos in the same way.. while hopefully preparing to head out once again to capture yet another generation of Finns abroad.
Little moments like this are important to, at least, me when I look back and wonder if all these long days and travels have been worth it… it sure has!! It doesn’t always have to be a big Final or reaching a tournament.. sometimes a game somewhere in a small town in Italy is much more memorable in the long run.
Photos of Koponen, were during his first pro-contract abroad as he had just gone to Virtus Bologna… those days, not much interest in basketball in Finland, so was probably one of the few photographers to visit Petteri. Those days he had really no idea who I was… these days.. we’ve been to few places in the last 13 years or so!
Italy visit was a nice one as it combined also a chance to snap photos and talk to Tuukka Kotti and Gerald Lee jr – also one of the first times I had covered them outside the national team. Possibly one of the only times I photographed Tuukka outside of Finland.. ‘the Spindoctor’ I did cover in more places from Spain, France to Romania.
And Calle – if I remember correctly, didn’t even know he was gonna be in Frankfurt when I booked the trip, it was to go and photograph Kimmo ‘He-Man’ Muurinen over there. Did of course also snap photos of Gordie Herbert .. whom I since interviewed last year for Finnish TV and then subsequently met in a Korisliiga game in Uusikaupunki during December..
The places my work has allowed me to travel and places I’ve seen…
Hopefully much more to come in the coming years….
